X for X-MAS & XXIV !!

Welcome to the XXIV post of this season!!  I am Xtremely Xcited to greet you all after X-MAS
even though the celebration still continues as Xpected. Hope you had an Xhilarating  time with your family and the blessings also spreads to the X's in this blessed season ;) I am not xactly and technically correct with the letter today but then I am not a Xynophobic either. I am not that smart to pursue Xylology however, so  if u wanna talk to me then hop on aboard, at your own risk of course.  On the bright side I am quite normal and not in the an X-Men category either...

Today's letter also reminds me of my all time magician hero Mandrake whose dream home was called Xanadu. However Xanadu is also a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. Too much of information perhaps??? Xactly !! Lets chk ur Xciting posts and as you would Xpect its gonna be visited by us obviously

I have been having an Xtreme time till now and do not plan to stop. Hmm by the way is it getting too Xeric in here or is it just me?? Let me Xpedite the process of removing my thirst immediately... The "spirits" await me ;)

Merry X MAS Folks and a very Xciting      HAPPY NEW YEAR

PHENO


Let X Be the Unknown

X=?

Naming something "X" makes it not only cooler, but more mysterious.
The fact that X represents a single unknown, generic value in mathematical equations may be partly responsible for this fact.

From Planet X to Project X. From Generation X, to Brand X, for years, we have used X to identify something that we couldn't really quantify.

X stood for mystery, challenge and the unknown.

But way back before that, X had a much simpler meaning.

In Roman Numerals, X represents the number 10.

Why is this significant you ask?

Because as we near the end of round nine and prepare to begin round 10, I have been given the rare privilege once again, of devising a logo or badge to represent this blog in the next round.

So, without further ado, allow me to unveil the badge/logo for Round 10.

Display it proudly on your sidebars, or include it on your ABC Wednesday posts.

It is available under the Badge heading in various sizes.

It is now, no longer the unknown.

We have solved for X.

TROY

W.......is for

from all of the ABC Wednesday team we Wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

V is for VANCOUVER

Welcome to our V week and as presenter this week, I'd like to introduce you to my home "city" of Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. You may all recall that we had the 2010 Winter Olympics here last February and it was a smashing success! Unfortunately, you may have heard about the embarrassing riot after the Stanley Cup (hockey) final game this past June where a bunch of loony-tunes torched police cars and other cars, smashed store windows, and generally went wild. This mid-adventure was so un-Canadian that 99% of us were horrified and rushed to make amends by cleaning up the streets and setting things right as rain again.

Anyhoo, Vancouver lies on the west coast of Canada and is the 3rd largest city in the country. You can read about the city here but in the meantime, here's a very short list of some famous people from Vancouver. How many do you know?

Michael Buble,Pamela Anderson, Michael J. Fox, Joshua Jackson,Evangeline Lilly, Leslie Nielson, Sandra Oh, Grace Park, Jason Priestley, Ryan Reynolds, David Suzuki, Eckhart Tolle, Margaret Trudeau, plus many many famous musicians, scientists, writers, etc.

See photos in the previous post!

Vancouver pics from Leslie

Here are a few photos of this, one of the most beautiful and most often voted city as the best place to live in the world. It's nestled beneath the Coast Mountain Range, which gets snow in winter where lots of people enjoy winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. Cruise ships leave from the Sails at Canada Place for ports like Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, and the USA. We have one of the largest Chinatowns in the world (outside of Asia) and if you like, you can go whale watching. It also boasts Stanley Park, one of the most famous parks in the world where you can visit the aquarium, walk or ride the seawall, hike into the forested area, or view native totem poles. Finally, we have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world with views of the city, mountains, and oceans. There is just so much more I could tell you about my city, but you will just have to visit!

U

It is UNDOUBTEDLY the day of the week when it is time to UNITE UNDER the ABC Wednesday UMBRELLA for the UMPTEENTH time.

It is UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED that it will be UTTERLY UNPREDICTABLE AND UNBOUNDED imagination will rule to UNVEIL a connection to the letter U.  Will we find UNICORNS or UTOPIA or see the playing of UKULELES or UILLEAN pipes?   That is UNDOUBTEDLY the joy one can never guess what you will display and what we will find.   So take a sip of USQUEBAUGH or UISGEBEATHA or even  UISCE beatha, all different spellings of the same thing, (the water of life = whiskey) alternatively sip your tipple of choice when you are ready post your link, sign up, sit back and browse the UNENDING variety and join in the UNIVERSAL conversation.  

T is for Taking Time

Today,

Take Time.

Take Time to Talk to a friend.

Take Time to Tell a loved one that you love them.

Take Time to Try something New.

Take Time to Thank someone for what they have meant to you.

Take Time to Teach a child.

Take Time to Taste a new food or Trade recipes with an old acquaintance.

Take Time to Touch the Things that matter,

Take Time To Think about Things you never want to lose

Take Time...

Because, when it boils right down to the meaning of life, and to what is really important...

...isn't it about Time?

Welcome to S Week!

Step right up, Signores and Signoras! Stay tuned for our Superb group of bloggers - from Stylish Students to Sprightly Seniors - who will Stun us with their Stupendous contributions to ABC Wednesday! As the Selected presenter for our S week, I'd like to tell you a bit about Sicily, a Spot where I wasn't all that keen on Staying at first. Even though I was Sick with a miserable cold and Sinus infection for the entire week I was there, I was Stunned by the Scenery, the Greek history, and the people. The Social interactions we had were plentiful and the citizens were more than happy to Share their Stories. Many cities in Sicily begin with the letter "S" and most of them harken from their ancient Greek heritage. I was unaware of the connection between Greece and Italy until my visit and I would love to return some day. Have a look at the photo album below and if you click on the photos, they will embiggen for you! Also, I've mislabelled the Mediterranean Sea and Siracusa Harbour on page 5, but I Somehow can't get back to edit it. But I'm Sure you'll know the difference.

Now it's your turn to Share your Silly Scenarios with Salty Sea lionS, your Stories about being Sent off to outer Space, or Sketches of your Sweet and Salubrious Spinch Salad! Staying tuned... Sincerely, Leslie in Western Canada

R is for REVEAL

All RIGHT! Are we READY to READ what our REMARKABLY RECURRING RESPONDENTS have wRITTEN this ROUND? As you will RECALL, ABC Wednesday was REGISTERED and REGULATED by the REGAL yet RUSTIC ROUSTABOUT, Denise Nesbitt.

I RECKON that some will REGALE with RIGHTEOUS RHETORIC, while others will REVEAL to us REMARKABLE RAYS of RARE REMINISCENCES. We REMARK while being RECEPTIVE to and RESPECTFUL of others. We're not RUTHLESS RUBES, but, RATHER, REFLECTIVE RACONTEURS.

So REMEMBER to RESPOND with your ROBUST 'R' REFLECTIONS, then RELATE it to us all by REMITTING the RIGHT link into the Linky at the time it is READY. And a REMINDER: the tab above the logo will REVEAL the RELEVANT time.

But first, the RAMBUNCTIOUS RENDITION of a piece of Aaron Copeland's RODEO: Hoedown. And RADIO Free Europe by the RETIRED ROCK group, R.E.M.

The Q's have it!

 

Quiet in the house!  

       The lights dim. 

               Cue Q to center stage.

 

Ladies and Gentleman, introducing the quixotic letter Q, who rarely travels without his companion U.   They drink quinine water to quaff their thirst while never quiting or quaking at righting wrongs.   They certainly never quibble or quarrel over petty matters.  Together they have been celebrated by at least a quintet of artists!  Cervantes made sure they are quoted often.

Good Denizens of ABC Wednesday, please do not go into quarantine but join the quest for more Q’s!

All participants will qualify to join Harry Potter for a game of Quidditch.   Or, well, how about quoits if you quiver at the thought of careening through the air on a broom stick!

Pheno is my Name and Posting's my Game

I hereby Proclaim that I am Profusely thankful to be Posting this weeks Post. Primarily because I, Pheno, as Part of this team think its a Prestigious assignment to be given an opportunity to Post again in this Perfectly Prepared meme. The Proof of my Prattle is in the Posting !! My hobbies in order of Preference always has been Photography as the first choice. I love taking Photos of everyday objects and everything I shoot is driven by Pure Passion and a sense of Purpose.  The letter P also made me think of Prancing which I do quite often...

Personally, I think this is a Perfect opportunity for all you People out there to Post today's P Perhaps? So Please do Participate. Not Posting will not be considered a Penal offence ;) Rest assured we are not Partial towards any blog and Promise to visit everyone who Posts here.....  Oh did I add, no Posts here containing any Profanity coz that could cause Problems!!Nothing Personal of course....Uh oh where did my pince-nez disappear, I cant see my Pudding!!

"P" S - This is no Propaganda !! 

Opting for O on ABC Wednesday

Just my humble opinion now, but no one should opt out of blogging for O! 

“Oh goodness gracious,” you object, “I have had no opportunity to ogle an osprey.  Nor could I observe a loon or explore the ocean.  I am not too keen on orthology, let alone orthography.  Why am I obligated to contribute?!   Stop being such an ogre!”  

 

“You are simply obfuscating the issue with those outré excuses,” I openly opine, “and, moreover,  you are being obdurate in overlooking all the O’s surrounding you!

For every obscure reference like ocarina, there is an overcoat in your closet.  Are you wearing an oxford shirt?  Did you enjoy oatmeal for breakfast?  And just who was that oaf who stole your spot in the parking lot?  Perhaps you are old enough to have seen oleo replace that other spread, butter?   Or young enough to have seen the start of HBO or the Oxygen network?  Certainly you know Our President!

You can look at me orey-eyed -- or out your window at the oak tree.   Put your oar in the water for ABC Wednesday -- outlandish and common choices abound! 

 

 I’d be much obliged.

And overcome with joy!”

Newsflash the Letter N

Newsflash: Now is the time to think and make a post for this week's ABC Wednesday.

You may post anything, a letter to your favorite Niece or Nephew, a photo of your pet taking a Nap, a great design on your manicured Nails, your plans for your Neat bedroom or even your favorite Necktie.

At ABC Wednesday, we encourage you to visit your Neighbor's to leave a Nice comment. 

We hope to see your Noteworthy posts in your own Nook of the web.

Nathalie

 

M

Mrs Nesbitt here MY Merry Mob!

Wonder what M's you will entice us with this week......

Will they be Mystical....

Magical????

Mysterious???

Will you share a Marvellous menu?

A Memory????

A Moan? lol!

Whatever you Manage to share - we will all read with  wonder,

Marvelling at the Marvellous people who make ABC Wednesday what it is today......

all thanks to...YOU!

Yes YOU! The person who is reading this introduction NOW!

Denise Nesbitt ABC Founder and proud Team member

Let Me Introduce the Letter L

L is  filled with lullabies and lollypops, laughter and love.

 L harbors a lammergeier with its lozenge shaped tail.

L  concerns itself with lepidopterists.

L is the place of lobsters and ladybugs.

L is a landscape of lakes and lagoons. 

And of course L encompasses letters and language.


Linda
ABC Wednesday Team

Keeping up with ABC Wednesday

It's time for another round of fun!

ABC Wednesday requests that you kindly post something that begins with the letter K.Whether your photos be of those gorgeous kangaroos or koala bears, or even of colorful kites flown during those lazy autumn days, just feel free to keep those entries coming.

By the way, I apologize for the delay in posting as we experienced some power outage due to the typhoon yesterday.

~Nathalie

K

Kind of just kind of popping in before Nathalie kind of does the Kind deed of introducing this week's letter K......you see I Kind of wanted to post the linky tool for all the kind kindred folk out there who will be kicking at their heels to share their K contributions.
Kudos!
Denise, ABC Team.

Jump on Board

Time to JUMP on board the ABC Wednesday train again. Play some JAZZ, JANGLE JEWELLERY, be JOCOSE, hoist the JOLLY Rodger for some JIGGERY pokery or as the Scots say JOUKERY pokery.   Perhaps sing a JINGLE - "JACK be nimble JACK be quick, JACK JUMPED over the candlestick"
Yes be quick, no need to find any JAPANESE vellum when JAVASCRIPT is all that is required. Find the J


We've reached the JUNCTION so link up and let the JOUISANCE begin.

I is for Insightful

I'VE been ITCHING to INITIATE the INTRODUCTION of this INTRIGUING INTERACTION, ABC Wednesday, which was INITIATED by the INDEFATIGABLE and INTOXICATING DenIse NesbItt.

IF you are of an INDISPUTABLE age and IDENTITY, you may remember this INDIVIDUAL from the "IDIOT box". His IDIOMATIC phrase: "Verrry INTERESTING!"

And INDUBITABLY, the contributions of this INDEPENDENT and INDESCRIBABLE lot will be INTELLIGENT, INCREDIBLE, and IMPORTANT, perhaps IRONIC, with maybe an IOTA of INSANITY, but INEVITABLY with INTEGRITY.




I Wish - Stevie Wonder

So I INSIST that you join this IMPRESSIVE and IRRESTIBLE band with your own INSPIRATION. Did I INDOCTRINATE you yet?


I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash

All hail the H!

Happy to have a chance to say hello again, and happily will I hound you to hurry up and contribute to H-Day on ABC Wednesday.  No hiding allowed!  Hang out with us and don't be a hopeless helpless (an admonition we heard over and over as kids)!

Hiking with Willow is when I let my mind roam over the letter of the day, hoping for the heavens to open and reveal the hottest H words around.  And so it happened this morning when I chanced upon some H words that have called forth these handsome rhyming compounds:  hurdy gurdy came first, and then hurly burly,  followed on quickly by hustle bustle,  hells bells, hugger mugger, hanky panky, hunky dory.   As I googled these "honey to the ear" words, I found the Alpha Dictionary website with its glossary of one hundred rhyming compounds.  Holy Moly! who ever heard of so many such pairs!

In googling "hurly burly," I found the hallowed Shakespeare's harrowing Macbeth hauled willy nilly into the 21st century in Macbeth the Rock Opera.  My, my, how the witches hover over the fire!

(When The Hurly Burly's Done -- Three weird sisters plot to snare MacBeth. From Dan Schaaf's MacBeth! The Rock Opera. Mayre Williams, Suzie Richter, Sandy Gleim & Kevin Giese. Directed by George Maslankowski.)

And here is the group Man Man singing their song Hurly Burly:
Man Man and Hurly Burly

And here is a marvelous demonstration of the "hurdy gurdy":


With Bobby McFerrin I urge you to take heed and --
Don't worry, be happy!

G like Gattina

When I had to choose a nickname for my blog I thought about the nickname they gave me in art school "Madame Chat" which means Mrs Cat, but "chat" in English means a chatterbox which I am too, but I didn't want this as a nickname. Finally I found a solution I thought about "cat" in Italian and that is Gatto, for a male, Gatta for a female and Gattina for a kitty. Now you know !

Let's GO with the game and a lot of good, grand, and glamorous words !

The F word is.....

FUN

During these dog days of summer, a Fabulous old song came to mind that Filled me with memories of Frisky and Fun-Filled days that were Funky, Footloose, and unForgettable. I am referring to the Beach Boys' "Fun Fun Fun" from their 1964 album "Shut Down Volume 2." (To hear/watch the song, click on the red title above.)

The song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love about a teenager named Shirley England, who worked for her father, the owner of radio station KNAK in Salt Lake City, Utah. Apparently, one day Shirley borrowed her Dad's Ford Thunderbird to go to the library, but she ended up at a hamburger stand instead. As a result, her Dad took the car away from her. The next day, the Beach Boys happened to be visiting the radio station for an interview and overhead her complaining about it to the staff. The Beach Boys were inspired to write this song! One interesting Fact is that the Wilson brothers' Father thought the song was immoral and tried to keep the group from recording it. I am Frankly Flabbergasted and Freaked out that we may never have heard this Fun song!

So have FUN FUN FUN, everyone, for the rest of the summer. Be Festive, Fabulous, Flirty, and Fascinating! Tell us all about your Ferocious Felines, your Fashion sense, your Flights of Fancy or even about your latest Flight to wherever. We're not Fussy. We want to hear all about the Frenzied tomFoolery at your last Festive Event.

Thanks to our hostess Denise Nesbitt and her Fabulous and Faithful Flock for their Fearless and Feisty assistance in Facilitating this weekly Fun. This has become more than a Fad since we're into the 5th year of ABCW and it has spread to many countries around the world. Tell your Friends to check us out at this website and encourage them to join in the Fun!

e

Well here we are at E.....what will YOUR E contribution EVOKE..........
will you ENDEAVOUR to EXCITE?  EDUCATE?

Here @ ABC Wednesday we always try to ENCORAGE our happy contributers each week......do you have an idea for an introduction?
If so -leave a comment and we will  email .........YOU!

EXACTLY!!! as EASY as that!

D is For Denise introducing new team member Pheno

Hi Folks I am the new team member Pheno and have stayed in Delhi which is the land of the Dynamic and Dashing. I like Dabbling with various Daggers which are quite quite Dangerous. This is not a collection for Desperate people and can be quite Deadly with Disastrous results. We certainly Dont want that DO we? Dancing is another thing that I like but come nowhere close to Daundering which is a scotish Dance. I always seem to Dream about Dairies or did I mean Diaries?By the way did I mention that I make good delicious dimsums??Duh!! Do I sound Deranged? I certainly Dont Deny it.  I am certainly Dropping my Daddle right here and right now.  


Dare to post blogs with the letter D. Dont just see...DO !!

One of my Dagger collection which I have titled "Snake in the Eagles Shadow!!"

C, it is almost a circle......

A cacophony of C’s careens through the crevices of my so-called brain!   The cadences of music creep without caution from my cranium.  

A song from Bing Crosby -- “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”  -- sounds so comforting as we contend with the current heat wave in the Midwest USA.  

Per chance, is it the conundrum of staying cool that is making me “Crazy” -- as in the hit by Patsy Cline.  

And speaking of Willie Nelson (he wrote “Crazy”),  I crave outlaw country lyrics as they continue to surface willy-nilly.  “Chances will be taken….” croons Gary P Nunn in this ditty, the “London Homesick Blues.”    It became the theme song of the PBS TV show, Austin City Limits, the longest running popular music show on American TV.

Of course, there is the ultimate country song,  “you don’t have to call me darlin’, darlin’, but you never even call me by my name”, by Steve Goodman and John Prine which was a big hit for David Allan Coe.  

Contrary to what you may be thinking,  and lest you conclude I cotton only to country, here is a little Chopin played by Piotr Anderszewski, a Gilmore Artist (from Kalamazoo’s Gilmore International Keyboard Festival). 

Have I cajoled you into contributing to the celebration of C?  

Please come up with something to calm down the consternation in the convoluted cubicle of my head!   

Throw caution to the wind and join in!

B is for Brothers and Sisters

ABC Wednesday brings together people from all over the world. Among people participating this week, and indeed in previous weeks, months and years even are friends in Norway. The whole world has witnessed and felt the tragedy which hit Norway last week. 

Brothers and Sisters by Marie Souline

In my perfect world there would be no war

People would communicate, and work their problems out diplomatically

All nations would be allies

People would wear smiles

And no one would ever know what a gun was

We would all be brothers and sisters

In my perfect world there would be no racism

People would be judged based on the content of their character

We would all hold hands

We would all be friends

We would all be brothers and sisters

In my perfect world there would be no heart ache

Families would love unconditionally

Lost love would become friendship

Friends would have no troubles, only fun

And no one would ever be lonely

We would all be brothers and sisters

In my perfect world there would be no worry

There would be no wars

There would be no racism

There would be no heart ache

There would only be occasional tears of joy

We would all hold hands together, as brothers and sisters

Thanks Jane for this link

A! Number 9, number 9

Nah, we can't be up to Round 9 of the amazing meme of Mrs. Nesbitt, ABC Wednesday! Can we?



Well, by the look of Troy's new logo - thanks, Troy! - I guess we have.

Interesting thing about A, which, unlike some other letters, seems to appear in most every alphabet, and in the beginning, no less:

In Greek, it's alpha:

I know some of you have been waiting to start, or restart, this meme until we got back to A. So, I suppose it's a good a time as any to go over the rules.



Truth is "ABC Wednesday is all about having fun." And we on the team are disinclined to get all legalistic. "Instead we suggest a Netiquette - a voluntary code of conduct - that should provide a comfortable environment for viewers, participants and commenters alike."

So here it is.
1. Post something on your non-commercial blog/webpage having something to do with the letter of the week. Use your imagination. Put a link to ABC Wednesday in your post and/or put up the logo.

2. Come to this site and link the SPECIFIC link to the Linky thing. It'll be available around 4 p.m., Greenwich Mean Time, which is 11 a.m. or noon in the Eastern part of the United States. Check out this conversion tool.
By the SPECIFIC link, we mean http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/2011/07/number-9-number-9.html rather than http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com
The primary reason is that people will want to visit your post, and the specific link is easier to find, especially over time. We're really interested in easier.
Which segues nicely to...

3. "Try and visit at least 5 other participants...and comment on their posts. The more sites you do visit, the more comments you will probably get." We all want some lovin'. Someone from the ABC Wednesday team will surely come by your site during the week.



WE HATE to take posts down from the Linky thing, we really do. So if you're clearly commercial, PLEASE don't bother. If you don't mention ABC Wednesday at all, we'll take it down, even if your title the piece A is for Aardvark (or whatever); seems only fair that if we're promoting your post, you promote our blog. A bit of quid pro quo, as it were.

Oh, and if you have any questions, problems, feel free to leave a note in the comments.

Zounds, it is Z-Day!

Gad zooks!   Can you believe we have traveled from A to Z one more time on ABC Wednesday?   We have zigged and zagged and zipped our way to Z-Day!  It’s been zany and zingy, and your contributions have caused me to sing “Zip-a-dee-do-da, my oh my what a wonderful day” or “Zing went the strings of my heart,” but never would you have heard the “zzzzzzz's” of my falling asleep.

So thank you for making this round of Mrs. Nesbitt’s brainstorm such a success!  Let’s celebrate with a house party -- the best dance music I know is Zydeco which you can tap into at Louisiana Zydeco Live.  For a good history of Zydeco and Cajun music, visit "Contemporary Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco music".

Bon temps!

And there will be a next tour of the alphabet so “Come on back, you all!”  Remember last week's message form Mrs. N -- WE NEED YOU!

ABC Wednesday - needs YOU!

ABC Wednesday Team - needs YOU!

Are YOU aboard for another round?

Are YOU interested in being a member of the ABC Team?

Are YOU wondering what that involves?

Well we can tell YOU - it just requires time to visit a few participants and to write an introduction on a couple of occasions?

Are YOU interested?

Can YOU say YES?

X is for Longhorns?

X is always the most difficult letter. So few words start with X and working them into a sentence requires great patience.

In trying to write this intro, so many times I started to type a word, only to realize it started with the "X" sound, but not with X. Exciting or Ecstatic, for Example. It was exasperating.

It seems most words that start with X are either scientific terms, or names of prescription drugs.

But X has a colorful history. (for example the prefix "Xan" generally refers to the color yellow).

We use it in life to denote the things we want out of our life, like our former mates, or Ex's, who presumably live in Texas, (per the country song All My Ex's Live in Texas, George Strait, 1987).

I can't hear that song without picturing a bunch of longhorn "X's" running around.



The red X in the corner of your screen right now would simply shut this page out of your life temporarily, (so please dont click it right now.)

X is used in cartoons to show poison and to indicate the proof of moonshine. A string of XXX's indicates Porn. In fact, the letter X has become synonymous with the "Bad Boy" dangerous or wild side image.

X no longer marks the spot for treasure, but more likely in modern times marks the spot for trouble.

Let's see what you can come up with for "X" and let's see if you can do it and still stay out of trouble.

Well, well, well! We are already to W!

Wow, we are whizzing our way through the alphabet!  Welcome to another week on ABC Wednesday, the week of W, the double “u,” actually double “v,” letter.   Don’t be a worrywart!   No whining!  You do not have to be a wunderkind to join the weekly ABC meme.  Just walk on in and whisper or shout out your favorite word beginning with W, no matter how you say or spell it – double yew, dubya, ve.

The where, and why, and, of course, The Who are what you can write about when working with W words.  While away a wee minute or two, working your way through to a wise or witty but never wimpy contribution to ABC Wednesday   Did you have some winnings this weekend playing whist?  Maybe you have read Wuthering Heights?  When did you last enjoy a whiskey sour?  Were you watching the US Open golf tournament, all the while wishing you could golf as well as Rory McIlroy?   Do you love the Wookies of Star Wars?  Are you interested in World War I or World War II?   Of course, you can find something on the world wide web!

You can brainstorm and it is always worthwhile to wander through the dictionary.  Looking at words that begin with W in my American Heritage Dictionary, I was struck by the lack of words with a single “u” following the double “u.”   It made me wonder why.  There are a couple minerals, some rivers, a mountain range and cities from China and Germany and then just  four words – wunderkind, wurst,  wushu and wuss.  The first two are German in origin, wushu is a Chinese martial art, and wuss is modern slang whose origins were sometime in the 60’s or 70’s of the last century.  (an aside: doesn’t it sound weird to be talking about the last century?  For most of my life, it meant way long ago!)

So it was time for me to hit the web and check out another modern phenom, Wikipedia, and its submission for W.   It turns out that only central western European languages from Cornwall to Poland had words that used the “w” and beginning in the 7^th and 8^th centuries Old English and Old High German writers began to use the double “u” to represent the “w.”  For much more on the evolution of W,  please consult the OED  or Wikipedia. 

I am not just whistling Dixie here!  I am wishing you the wonders and wisdom of the world of W!

V for Visitors

Hello dear Visitors! It's time for ABC Wednesday!

Wednesday, a day that we all love because we get to share so many great things with each other. Time to lift the Veil of secrecy and come up with a Variety of items, ideas, words or even food that begins with the letter V. 

You may have a photo of a great looking Vase or a crawling Vine in your garden, how about a great Verse from a poem that you wrote? All of these things are welcome, so come play along and show how many Varied items start with this letter of the alphabet.

Just another Voice of reminder. Please make it easier for everyone to View your entry by using the exact link of your post when you enter it in the Linky Tool.

If you don't know where to find the exact URL, please follow these steps:

>After posting your entry, click on the link that says "View Post"
>Go to the address bar of your browser
>Copy everything that you see there and paste it on Mr. Linky

Oh, please don't be shy, grab one of our Very cute buttons and post that in your entry.

Copy this code to your website to display this banner!

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Uniquely U!

Umber is lovely until you find yourself underneath a sky this uninviting.
What a happy coincidence that the U clouds came to the party!

I'm going to go spare you my list of U words. UGH! They were ugly and unbefitting of this ubiquitous meme.

If you're unfamiliar with how this works, here's some really bad haiku to help you navigate ABC Wednesday.

share your unique view—

poems, short stories, photographs—

must be U-inspired

use the correct link

not sure how? it's explained here

please be sure it works

T is TERRIFIC

TODAY it's Time for "T"

T is TERRIBLY important.
Without T there would be no TRIUMPH over TYRANTS.

We could not TASTE our TEA, or TWEET on TWITTER.
We could not TAKE TIME TO THINK.

We could not TELL THE TABLOIDS TO TELL THE TRUTH, nor could we TEACH TWIN TODDLERS TO TWIST.

We could not TALK, because we would have no TONGUES.

Without T there would be no TV, no TURKEY on THANKSGIVING, no TUBAS, TROMBONES, TRUMPETS or TIMPANI.
We would not be able to wear TROUSERS.
There would be no TRENDS, no TRAVEL, no TOURISTS, no TREASURES and no TRADE.

So please, TAKE a moment and TELL us your TRIBUTE to T.

Because worst of all, without T, there would be no TROY. And that, my friends would be TRULY TRAGIC.

Sylvia's S!

Say! This is Sylvia and guess what? It's the S day and Sam Schnauzer and I are ready to climb into our Sailboat with a bouquet of Sunflowers, a bowl full of Salad, a Salami Sandwich or two to Satisfy our appetite and, of course, a pitcher of Sangria to Sip on as we Sit Safely on the Sand at the beach! Who knows who may come Sailing up with a Saber! I hate to get Sentimental, but I'm Suddenly reminded of the year I lived in Mexico and Sat on my patio, wrapped in my Serape, watching the Sunsets! So, Schlepp along with us. Share the Smiles, Sing Some Songs, Swing your hips and dance and just be Silly and never too Serious! That is how we find the Sweetness of life and avoid the Storms!! Is that Super or what!! So long, See you next week -- bring Some Sourdough bread , Some Smiles and prepare to Sing Some Songs, even if the weather is Stormy! Okay?

R is for Roger

When Mrs. Nesbitt gave us the RITE of writing this introduction, I thought it was to introduce ourselves to you. So, I will.

I am Roger and I am reticent, reserved, retiring, retrospective, reliable, respectful, realistic, reasonable, and reclusive.

I am also rowdy, rambunctious, raucous, ridiculous, radical, rambunctious, rebellious, reckless, rascally, and rollicking.

It all depends how I ROLL out of bed.

I do try NOT to be redundant, raunchy, raging, rude, or ruthless.

But I don't mind if I'm reminiscent, reflective, rejoicing, relaxed, resourceful, romantic or restorative.

RAH! I'm relieved I'm done, and relish the opportunity to read what you wrote, even if it's by rote.
***
Oh, yeah, a REMINDER about the RIGHT way to post to ABC Wednesday.

1. Write a post that in some even tenuous way REFLECTS the letter of the week. It doesn't have to be written on Tuesday or Wednesday; it could be from the previous Friday or Sunday. Make it clear that the post is for ABC Wednesday by both having a link to ABC Wednesday and an indication somewhere that R is for Roger, e.g.; doesn't need to be in the title, as it could be in the body of the post. Using one of the badges would be especially nice. Some folks post to multiple memes and that's OK, but if you mention the other ones and don't mention ours...

2. Post the specific URL of that post to the Linky that is available about 4 p.m., Greenwich Mean Time on Tuesdays, which turns out to be 11 a.m or noon, U.S. Eastern time, depending on when the clocks change. By SPECIFIC URL, we mean, e.g., http://www.rogerogreen.com/2011/05/01/r-is-for-real-rodin, not just http://www.rogerogreen.com/. There are two reasons for this - so people can find your specific post now and comment, especially later in the week, and so people can come back six months from now and see what people did for a letter last time through. Cheryl explained this some weeks ago.

3. CHECK THE LINK. Sometimes people have put in mywebsite@blogspot.com rather than mywebsite.blogspot.com in the Linky, which doesn't work. You should be getting an e-mail which will allow you to delete your own post and try again.

4. Comment on other people's blogs; 5 or 7 or 10, or more if you're so inclined. Check on Tuesday or Wednesday and maybe over the weekend for the later arrivals.

Q

As swift as QUICKSILVER, no QUESTON about it, the week has turned, so QED, its time to QUEST for the letter Q.  If we had a Latin motto for ABC Wednesday would it be Terence's "QUOT homines tot sententiae" (as many minds as men) that is there are as many opinions as there are people to hold them. 

I always think Q is a pretty letter it lends itself to curls and swirls. It also is usually followed with a U. The QUESTION is how many Q words do not?   Well there is:

QANAT - an underground tunnel for carrying irrigation water; 

QASIDA - an Arabic poem of praise or mourning; 

QAWWALI - sufi music

QIGONG (a breathing meditation)

QIVIUT - the wool of the artic musk ox

QUITE evidently these words have come from other languages (Arabic, Chinese and Inuit). So useful when we have not got the word, just look at the QUINTESSENCE of QIVIUT

P is for POLITICS

POLITICS! Everywhere here in Canada the talk has been nothing but POLITICS. Monday, May 2nd was our national election and there was a lot of controversy about it. The Liberal and New Democratic PARTIES overthrew the government, forcing an election, and most of the country was horrified. After all, it's the fourth national election in seven years! Usually, the PRIME MINISTER is in POWER for four years, just like the American PRESIDENT. For more information about our POLITICAL scandal click here. It's a very good, yet brief overview of how Canadian and American POLITICS and government differ. PERSONALLY, I think Stephen Harper is the best PERSON for the job right now. He's an economist and has been able to keep Canada's economic situation stronger than a lot of other countries right now. In fact, our dollar is now equal to or worth more than the American dollar. The leaders of the other PARTIES PROMISED so much, but I wonder who they thought was going to PAY for these PROMISES. Mr. Harper may not appear to be the flashiest leader, but he's an extremely intelligent, hard-working man and his PLATFORMS have helped to keep our country in a PRIME POSITION to be a force in world POLITICS. For example, Canadian soldiers have been in Afghanistan all these years helping to fight the war on terror, and 155 of our brave soldiers have died in this PUSH FOR PEACE. Time will tell how Canada's POLITICAL situation will PAN out. Even though this election has cost our country $300 million, I am POSITIVE that Canada will continue to move forward with Stephen Harper leading a majority government with his PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY!